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Fresh

The Tomatometer is 60% or higher.

Rotten

The Tomatometer is 59% or lower.

Certified Fresh

Movies and TV shows are Certified Fresh with a steady Tomatometer of 75% or higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide-release movies, 40 for limited-release movies, 20 for TV shows), including 5 reviews from Top Critics.

The Wrestler Reviews

How weak and how strong is Mickey Rourke's overwhelming wrestler - his performance rings just a true as Gloria Swanson's did in 'Sunset Boulevard', for there's much of the artist in the athlete, and there's much of the athlete in the artist -they depend on the crowd. And that's the whole point of 'The Wrestler', Randy the Ram is old, washed up, but he's still here, easily making up for the flaws and numerous clichés of the film. Even the score of Aronofski's movie is dated, like its heartbreaking character. What 'The Wrestler' does, also, is giving an ode, and a beautiful and necessary one (though far from flawless), to a too often despised sport and a crude form of entertainment (which shouldn't be ignored).

great movie. mickey Rourke unbelievable. great and sad movie about a wrestler who is scarred physically and mentally and you know has a little heart in him but tries to hide it. only take off half star because a little to long. but a magnificent movie

Mickey Rourke hesitated to take on this close-to-home role, a character once successful but now facing the persona of a failure - not just as formerly adored wrestler The Ram, but as a father also. A dark, sometimes graphic story that even at its most predictable moments is captivating - this is Rourke's movie though allowing the cliche this might be the role he was born to play. There will be 5 nominees for the Best Actor Oscar this year, here's one of them...

The Wrestler is directed by Darren Aronofsky, and it stars Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood in a sports drama about a wrestler that has been wrestling for a long time, and after a recent heart attack that almost killed him, Randy (Mickey Rourke) wanted to get his life back together, whether it be financial wise, and family. With his next film mother! coming next week, I wanted to watch one of his films that I haven't reviewed, and with this being on my DirecTV list, I figure I should watch this and see how it is. Mickey Rourke is born to play this type of character as he's perfect as a wrestler that is very well known, has his signature moves, and is very likable with everybody, which I didn't know when watching the film that Mickey Rourke was actually a boxer at one time. Marisa Tomei was very believable as a stripper that I think she's very much brace for showing the body bare while dancing very sensual for the people inside the strip club. I like the chemistry between Randy and Pam as it seems genuine and very odd as you wouldn't expect someone like those two to have a heart to heart conversation. Even though Evan Rachel Wood isn't in it that much, she's still great in what's she in, and she has some emotional moments that are done well. The one main aspect that separates this from the other wrestling films, is that it focuses more on the characters than the fighting scenes. Now there's no lack thereof for the fighting scenes as there are a few of them, they are enjoyable to watch that you're having just as much fun as the audience is, and you see how they do their own wrestling that while it's all the act, they have fun with it while doing some real good damage to each other. This is basically a character-driven film with some wrestling aspects to it, and the writing by Robert D. Siegel, with maybe a few rewrites from the director and Mickey Rourke himself, is fantastic that brings it down to some actual human conversations that seem very laid back, but not in a boring way. Even the direction by Darren Aronofsky is interesting in that this is different from the weird and creepy stuff that he has done before, and it really felt like I was watching a documentary about a fictional character that felt real to me. The only time where it might be starting to become a movie is in the last 20 minutes of it, but it never seem to betray the documentary aspect as we understand why he's doing this, and the direction and writing still remain strong. The Wrestler is probably my favorite wrestling film, and for me, one of Darren Aronofsky's best because the movie felt so human to me, which is what the best films should be to my personal taste in one of those aspects, and I think this is a masterpiece.

Different, daring and powerful. this can be viewed multiple times and still is just as effective as your first viewing. so much is said in a film with limited story and dialogue making this a humbling yet memorable experience for viewers. anyone who hasnt experiences this film are missing out on a true gem and are in for a treat.

Story about an aging wrestler who tries to re-connect with his estranged daughter. Most actors today overact and ruin a movie. This movie has some great understated acting. Aronofsky does an excellent job of creating something out of nothing. I hope he does another movie with this type of down on your luck storyline.

It's hard after watching this to not compare it to the Rocky series as it's basically Rocky 1,5 & 6 in one film except wrestling not boxing, The film itself is brilliant, A very slow burner at times but a well told story and some great acting performances really help things along, Especially Mickey Rourke who puts in the performance of his life, Being a hardcore wrestling fan I kicked myself waiting so long to watch this, The ending was perfect and you could call it a cliffhanger but it was more of a relief that it let's you decide in your heart what happened but that haunting song after the film finishes only makes you think one way, If you're a fan of the Rocky films you should love this or even just love a great drama with a little twist to the norm you will love this too.

An honest and raw character study that, like many of Aronofsky's other films, is about desperate people clawing toward status; deeply complex humans that are utterly dissatisfied with their place in life.

I'm a sucker for sports films, and I've always wanted to watch The Wrestler. I finally came around to watching it, and I was really impressed with Mickey Rourke's comeback performance. Darren Aronofsky is behind the camera about a rundown wrestler trying to relive his glory days. The character development is what really drives this film home, and there are many relatable and touching moments from The Ram when it comes to his struggles with both his daughter and his love interest. There are many dark moments when we see how far Randy will go to make some money and stay relevant. I didn't find many things wrong with the film, and I was very into the movie the whole time. This is one of Aronofsky's finest outputs, and it is an eye-opener with how powerful Mickey Rourke was as well.

This is a great film topped off by Mickey Rourke's outstanding performance. It's about a wrestler who is forced to stop his career because he might die of a heart attack. The film shows him struggling to find something else in life he likes doing. He then meets an exotic dancer who he falls in love with who is also ready to start a new life. His acting performance is definitely one of the more iconic ones of the last couple decades. The movie is about his struggle to move on with life and his new found girlfriend and his daughter both give him courage to move on and we can sympathize with him. The ending is ambiguous and it leaves room for discussion so the viewer can decide whether ending he prefers. I'm not going to spoil the ending but it makes us think if he made the right or wrong choice so I appreciate the choice the film made. I don't think younger audiences would be able to relate with Randy "The Ram" because it contains some deep concepts but older people would likely be able to relate with him and enjoy the movie more. If you like wresting and want to see a moving story about passion then this movie is for you.

Aronofsky and company manage to find the humanity in the exploitative worlds of professional wrestling, stripping, and 80s hair metal, but it really isn't very pretty or glamorous. The deeply flawed characters are portrayed with sympathy, while being cast in an unapologetic light. The protagonist is much more a subject of study than a hero. While the WWE might suffer from too much focus on the microphone, I think that the weak-link in Mickey Rourke's performance is his in-ring persona and mic-work.